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Marching for Justice

  1. #BlackLivesMatter is frequently used on social media following fatal police shootings, linking cases and communities. In this lesson, students will examine what these events have in common and what events in history could be linked to them. 
  2. Black Lives Matter is larger than a hashtag on social media. Students can begin to learn how they can make a difference for racial justice.
  1. Students will be able to articulate what ‘Black Lives Matter’ means and when it is used. 
  2. Students will be able to critically analyze how social media impacts Black lives matter. 
  3. Students will be able to articulate the link historical events and movements have to contemporary events that took place in Ferguson.  

  • Hashtag: Symbol that ties social media posts with the same or similar content together.
  • Black Lives Matter: Movement that advocates specifically for Black people. The largely social movement advocates for basic human rights as well as racial equality. 
  • Protest: A lawful/legally-protected form of expression and assembly that allows people to gather peacefully and voice their opinions against injustice, authority, or other events.

  1. Preparation Homework: Timeline Activity
    1. Instruct students to turn a blank piece of paper horizontally. About an inch from the bottom, draw a straight line. This will be their timeline. 
    2. Do not tell students what year to start with. Simply thinking about what year to start with will encourage students to think about the deep historical roots that contemporary events have.
    3. Play Episode 2 of Ferguson Voices, “History’s Rhyme” 
      • Instruct students to write down, on a separate piece of paper, every historical event that they hear mentioned
  2. Opening discussion:
    1. When you hear “Black Lives Matter,” what do you think of? What does it mean to you?
    2. Where did you first hear about Black Lives Matter?
    3. Today we will be discussing how the Ferguson Uprising relates to other historical and more recent events.
  3. Before discussing specific events, discuss protests. Explain:
    1. The right to protest was established in the Constitution of the United States. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
    2. In a protest, people gather peacefully to voice their opinions surrounding a concern.
    3. There are 4 ‘P’s that can be used to describe a protest: Persistence, Presence, Planning, Provocation
      • Persistence: When citizens see a problem, they take action and gather, regardless of roadblocks. Protests can last for extended periods of time, day after day, they can occur annually, or they can be a one-time event. However, people will be persistent and continue gathering until a resolution is reached. 
      • Presence: Protests have an impact, in part, because people can see them. When an issue comes to light, many will talk about it, sign petitions, or voice their concerns in other ways. While these are impactful, they often die down and can go unseen. A large part of the power in a protest is the presence of concerned citizens.
      • Planning: As with any gathering, planning is important so that the desired outcome is reached. Organizers of protests must plan where to meet, how to communicate, and what the message will be.
      • Provocation: Protests are meant to be provoking. They challenge the people who are viewed as responsible for the problem. Protests do not occur for things that everyone agrees on. Citizens of the United States have a right to protest and voice their opinions, even if they go against leadership. 
  4. Have students bring out their homework. Ask students to shout out which historical events they heard. Write them in a list in front of the room.
    1. Divide the class into groups and assign each group 2-4 events. 
      • In groups, students should look up each event. 
      • Find the dates of the event and write several bullet points describing what happened and why it might relate to the Ferguson Uprising. 
      • Each group should prepare to share what they found with the class.
    2. For each event, groups spend approximately 1-minute sharing what they learned. As the group shares, their classmates should add the event to their timeline. 
      • Students may either just write the name of the event and the date on the timeline, or they can include some information about the event on the back of their timeline paper for reference. 
    3. Ask students to now think about the phrase “Black Lives Matter.” Many contemporary events have been attached to this phrase. 
      • Ask students to now think of events that have happened when the phrase, “Black Lives Matter” was used. 
      • Discuss what the phrase means and when it is used. 
      • How are events linked to the phrase “Black Lives Matter”? 
        • Social media hashtags
        • The first post was in July of 2013 on Facebook by Alicia Garza, one of the founders of the Black Lives Matter movement. 
      • For context, play video, stopping at 5:30.
      • Discuss.
    4. Instruct students to list specific events that have been attached to ‘Black lives matter’ or that may be related.
      • Once students have created their own lists, ask them to shout out the events. Write them on the board.
    5. Divide the class into groups and assign each group 2-4 events.
      • Students should look up each event. 
      • Find the dates of the event and write several bullet points describing what happened and why it might relate to the Ferguson Uprising. 
      • Each group should prepare to share what they found with the class.
    6. For each event, groups should spend approximately 1-minute sharing what they learned. As the group shares, classmates should add the event to their timeline. 
      • Students may either just write the name of the event and the date on the timeline, or they can include some information about the event on the back of their timeline paper for reference. 
    7. If the Ferguson Uprising has not already been placed on their timeline, instruct students to add it. Students should now have a complete timeline.
    8. Gallery Activity
      • See Gallery Activity document
      • Use this link to listen to Episode 4 of Ferguson Voices from 18:18-25:57 featuring Tory Russell.
        • This clip contains language some listeners may find objectionable. 
      • Reflection:
        • What did you learn from Tory about the movement for Black lives? 
        • How does his perspective relate to our discussion today?
        • Where are the elements of protests seen in the events discussed in class? 

  1. Computer and projector to play video.
  2. Board at the front of the classroom.
  3. Students will need individual access to the internet. This can be through tablets available or a computer lab.
  4. Paper.
  5. Writing utensils.

  1. Opening discussion
    1. Skip
  2. Timeline Activity
    1. Listen to podcast episode.
    2. Independently list events and place them on timeline.
    3. Instruct students to list events when the phrase ‘Black lives matter’ was used.
    4. Independently research events and place them on timeline.
  3. Ending Activity
    1. Gallery activity